This is how much debris is still washing up on Alaska's shores from the Japan tsunami

Thousands of tons of trash washed into the ocean after the 2011 quake have been collected by volunteer beach clean-up crews.

Each "super sack" is the size of a Smart Car, and 3,334 of these sacks were filled with collected debris washed up on Alaska's shores from Japan's tsunami.
(Photo: Cristina Mittermeier/SeaLegacy)

Japan's devastating earthquake and resulting tsunami in 2011 washed some 5 million tons of debris into the ocean. While much of the debris sank or broke down in the ocean, a significant amount swept across the waves and began arriving on U.S. shores in 2012, and it hasn't stopped washing up since.

The debris has become a regular sight on the beaches of Alaska and down the west coast of North America. It is hard to understand the scale of the problem, the sheer amount of debris arriving on shore -- unless, of course, you have volunteers collecting it, bagging it, and loading it onto a massive barge for removal.

On August 4th, Cristina Mittermeier, conservation photographer and co-founder of nonprofit Sea Legacy, photographed a barge loaded up with 3,334 "super sacks" each the size of a Smart Car, arriving in Ucluelet, British Columbia en route to Seattle, Washington.

"This month, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, along
with several government agencies, non-profit organizations, and business
partners in Alaska and British Columbia have endeavoured an
unprecedented effort - funded in large part by a generous donation from
the Government of Japan - to remove marine debris from beaches in Alaska
and British Columbia," says Karla Robison, Environmental and Emergency Services Manager of the District of Ucluelet in a press release. "Using helicopters with sling load capabilities
and a 300-foot barge, this operation will take approximately one month
to deliver several hundred tons of debris to Seattle, Washington for
recycling, with remaining debris sent by train to a final disposal site
in Oregon."

The barge is making its way to Seattle, Washington where the debris will be recycled. All non-recyclables will continue by train to Oregon for final disposal. (Photo: Cristina Mittermeier/Sea Legacy)

The barge pictured here is carrying both the thousands of super sacks as well as 691 cubic yards of assorted debris. All of which will now be put in its proper place, rather than cluttering up the coastlines of Alaska and British Columbia. The effort is enormous but also entirely worth it. Marine debris is not only an eyesore and dangerous to beach-goers, but it is also a significant danger to marine life. Sea otters, sea lions, seals, birds, fish and other animals get tangled in ropes or chunks of plastic, and often mistake smaller pieces as food. The consequences are lethal. The debris can also hinder shipping traffic or damage reefs. The clean-up crews are performing a feat of heroic scale, and it is still just a portion of what needs to be collected along North America's coasts.

“The relations and co-operation between Japan, Alaska, Canada, British Columbia and coastal communities in response to the disaster and resulting debris signify that by working collectively we can protect our shared marine environment," says Robison.